New Jersey Voters, Newspapers Urge Legislature to Pass Medical Aid-in-Dying Law Now!
Sep 14, 2018 New Jersey New Jersey Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act
Starting Sept. 27, when the New Jersey Assembly returns to Trenton for its first of 3 voting days before the end of the year, supporters of the “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act” (A1504/S1072) will gather in Trenton to demand that lawmakers bring the bill to the floor for a vote. The Assembly’s Judiciary Committee voted 5-2 to approve the bill for Assembly action in March and it enjoys strong public support.
In fact, state residents support medical aid-in-dying legislation by more than a 2-1 margin (63% vs. 29%), according to the most recent state poll on the issue by Rutgers-Eagleton. This majority support included Protestants (73%), Catholics (64%) and other non-Protestant residents (59%). The lead sponsors of the “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act” are both Catholics, Assembly Deputy Speaker John Burchichelli and Senator Nicholas Scutari.
“This is not really a partisan issue in New Jersey,” said Ashley Koning, manager of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. “Though a difficult subject for many, the issue has widespread support and acceptance here. Public opinion is mainly on the bill’s side.”
New Jersey newspapers have urged the state legislature to pass medical aid-in-dying legislation since 2012. Below is a summary of these editorials.
The [Parsippany, NJ] Daily Record, “Supporting Aid in Dying bill a compassionate move,” Sept. 24, 2018
“The Aid in Dying [for terminally ill] Bill provides patients and families with some peace of mind that when the end is near and the suffering is great, they have options that can be pursued with dignity and compassion. That’s worth approving.”
[Somerville, NJ] Courier News and [East Brunswick, NJ] Home News Tribune, “Supporting Aid in Dying bill a compassionate move,” Sept. 24, 2018
“This [Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill] bill isn’t just about ending life but improving life in some small way in a patient’s final days. The experiences of other states have shown that patient attitudes improve just by knowing the aid-in-dying option is available to them … But this is about freedom to choose, and patients with less than six months to live certainly deserve a choice in how they die.”
Times of Trenton, “N.J. needs to allow the terminally ill the right to a peaceful death,” September 19, 2018
“Even as you read this, a dying man who who faces unimaginable suffering would find hope in the knowledge that an end to the agony is in sight. A pain-wracked cancer patient would sleep better knowing the blessed relief is on the horizon. Evidence from other states shows that Aid-In-Dying bills have improved the mental health in patients, and that even knowing that the option is available is often enough. Our legislators have the power to make this happen. We pray they have the human decency to do so.”
New Jersey Law Journal, “Time Has Come For Aid-in-Dying Statute,” Sept. 3, 2018
“The prerequisites for ending one’s life under the proposed New Jersey statute are virtually identical to those contained in its previous drafts and, remarkedly [sic], to those of all U.S. jurisdictions which sanction such relief …
We believe the choice of whether to live or die under circumstances where an individual has no quality of life and no reasonable hope of obtaining one rests solely with the person who is suffering yet competent to make that choice.”
Times of Trenton, “Let the terminally ill decide when they want to die,” March 15, 2018
“Receptive to past criticism, namely the concern that terminally ill patients were not aware of alternatives such as hospice and palliative care, the act’s sponsors rewrote previous versions to include these options …
the bill specifically states that disabilities are not terminal illnesses …
With a new Legislature and a new governor, the Aid in Dying Act could move closer to reality, closer to ensuring dignity and control at a time when people need them most.”
South Jersey Times, “N.J. death with dignity proposal gaining deserved support,” March 4, 2015
“With the stringent safeguards it includes, the approval of the legislation could help bring peace to not only the terminally ill in New Jersey, but their friends and family who must witness a loved one slowly and painfully slip away from them …
To afford the terminally ill the chance to die on their own terms is the most humane of final gifts we could give someone. It’s time for state lawmakers to show they actually have compassion for others.”
Asbury Park Press, “Offer choice, mercy to terminally ill,” Sept. 27, 2014
“The moral and social implications of aid in dying legislation will be debated in religious and philosophical terms for years to come. But it is time for the legal debate to conclude …
What right should government have to dictate to people of sound mind who are slowly and painfully dying the terms of their death and to bar them from seeking a doctor’s aid in making a personal medical decision? …
State lawmakers should move ahead with this legislation…”
Times of Trenton, “Death with Dignity for the Terminally Ill proposal includes crucial safeguards,” Aug. 10, 2014
“Religious groups, patient advocates and even physicians themselves are right to call for caution before action. But as medical science allows people to live longer, there are steps a compassionate society can and must take when longer doesn’t mean better.
Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana already allow doctors to help put an end to the excruciating pain the dying too often experience. Let’s have the conversation in New Jersey, and let’s follow their lead.”
The [New Jersey] Star Ledger, “The right to choose death: Editorial,” March 12, 2014
“Laws requiring patients to endure suffering are cruel. The Death with Dignity Act removes government from an intensely personal decision, while providing safeguards to ensure that incurable patients are making uncoerced, rational decisions.”
The Press of Atlantic City, “Death with dignity / A reasonable proposal,” Oct. 1, 2012
“When there is no chance of survival, a peaceful, dignified death with family at your side is something we believe most people would want.”
